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Answers to WTFWTK 2.68!

Mattel has once again provided answers to your questions.
Thanks again to them for taking the time to answer these!
Check out their answers to your Round 68 questions!

This round of questions were selected by mjw41.
Thanks to that fan for their help!

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1. grenadaspice: It has been asked if Castle Grayskull could be sold in separate parts, sort of as a collect & build type of playset, thinking this would bring the cost down, but it has been stated that it wouldn't make sense logistically & If Castle Grayskull were to be made, it would be done properly. Now, my question is what is your stance be on a 3 Towers of Eternia playset. Could be sold as 3 separate mini-playsets, as they are technically 3 stand alone towers minus the connecting monorail system. And even though I would love to see the monorail system and think that parts of the track and a monorail vehicle could be packaged with each "tower mini-playset", that Eternia diorama/display at SDCC showed how awesome the towers can be without the track. What are your thoughts on the Ultimate Battleground and selling it this way?

It is possible we could release the Towers individually as they are still solid structures. What we want to avoid is having to create a single playsets like CG that would need to break apart for the purpose of selling it. That would make an already difficult project that much harder. There are no plans at this point to do the Three Towers either as one set or as individual towers but anything could be possible. As long as we don't have to chop up each individual tower to sell them!

2. bianchi5: We know that no figure past Hurricane Hordak and Leech will ever see a reissue, but does this apply to army builders too? If it doesn't, do you plan to refresh them with new heads and accessories?

Any future army builders will not go into a second run. Previous army builders like the Royal Guards could potentially go into a second run as they were before Leech but there will not be any changes to them beyond a package burst.

3. Count Marzo: When you guys start doing more Filmation figures, how will you decide what accessories they will come with? Will they be accessories from the episodes they appeared in or will the Four Horsemen do up some new things for them if they didn't really have accessories in the cartoon? I love Shadow Weaver's cartoon accessories!

A little of everything. We often leave it to the Horsemen to take the lead with design choices like this.

4. CaptainMendoc: The Filmation Modulok did not seem to have the same shape-changing abilities as the toy. His proportions were also more muscular than the toy, with arms and a torso that were more in line with the rest of the characters. If his toy counterpart is too costly to produce, could he be released in his Filmation version (four legs, two arms, torso with one head), possibly with his extra head as an accessory? His four-legged lower body could potentially be shared with a Mantenna sculpt.

Both options are potentially possible. We just are not up to a Modulok yet so these conversations simply have not taken place with design and the Horsemen!

5. shadowfall1976: Since Snake Man-At-Arms is coming in 2012, will the original Man-At-Arms get a re-issue too? If not, will SMAA get a alternate normal "Duncan" mustached head for those of us who missed out on the first release?

SMAA will not get either of the regular heads form the first release. As for a second release of the first MAA, stay tuned!

I really HATE it when they say "We haven't gotten to __________ yet so these conversations simply have not taken place" because it is such a pile of crap! I'm fine with them not telling us what's been discussed, and I'd even rather have them use the "We can't comment past Horde Prime" line than to try to make us think that they don't EVER talk about a figure until it's locked into the schedule. Yeah, cuz that's the way a creative mind that is a fan of they property they're working on works--they ONLY focus on the one thing right in front of them, and don't ever let thoughts of future figures and characters enter their minds, ESPECIALLY on a line that is all about sharing parts!

GRRRRRRRRRRRR!

END OF RANT

Sorry, but I've been wanting to get that off my chest for a while now, and I must say, I feel much better! Awesome hint about a Man-At-Arms reissue since I know a lot of people out there need him!

Any future army builders will not go into a second run. Previous army builders like the Royal Guards could potentially go into a second run as they were before Leech but there will not be any changes to them beyond a package burst.

Aaaand HERE comes the NEXT bad news for the line !

No reissue of the army builders ? Wow. Another huge "WORLD CLASS" disservice for those who planned to buy multiple Horde Troopers, Snake Troopers etc.

Given the weak amount of individual figures produced on this "economy line", I have no doubt it will be a real nightmare to get the next army builders... And I don't even want to speak about those who want MULTIPLE packs of the next army builders !

That's the next thing: I don't know how expensive shipping is in the United States but it would be a nightmare let things like Castle Grayskull & other playsets being shipped to international customers if they come in one big piece.

Sometimes I got the impression, that Mattel is comparing doing playsets is like building a spaceship...

Man-E-Faces was the first figure to not get a re-issue, not Leech, not H. Hordak. And to me it's still stupid, the re-issues are not holding back other figures, and for ones like me, but who are coming now after the no re-issue thing, and now supposed lower production numbers....are pretty much screwed to possibly paying MAA & Tri-Klops prices for the more popular ones like Sorceress & Kahn. But I could be wrong, maybe the sales in general are down, because all the figures so far since Man E Faces have held on for a while before selling out...or Mattel finally got the production numbers right, because from what I read most of the early line sell outs were due to not producing enough figures on the first runs, look at MAA, even with a second run, they still didn't make enough.

No reissues of army builders? Mattel is continuing making fools out of us.

With dollar machines like the Horde Trooper, they won't ever choose not to produce him again if there is a fan demand.

They will do it and then they will say, things have changed.

I think, the guy, who writes the answers, is being told that the questions come from 10 year old fans.

I believe TG originally stated a while back that we won't see any reissues of any figures in 2012 that came after Man-E-Faces, now this doesn't mean that any of these figures will never see a reissue I just recall TG saying it might be a few years. The only thing he was sure about was no reissues in 2012 past Man-E-Faces. So if we get a Horde Trooper Army builder two pack in 2012 i'm sure it will get a reissue in 2013 or 2014 since it would be stupid of Mattel not to reissue Horde Troopers.

Being involved in the film industry, several of my own businesses and retail chains, the no reissue thing to me speaks that the line is in trouble. Not major cancelation next year or end of the 200x line type of trouble, but it isn't the juggernaut that it once was. Nostalgia lines do have a limited appeal and this one may have hit that point with some people. Sadly just when it was getting really fired up. Stupid decisions and the whole "taken for the ass" figure situations and poor customer service are also not helping.

The 3 Towers thing would be awesome to buy individually. Being grown up, I don't need that stupid monorail feature. I hated it on the old toy and I never put the towers close together like they are depicted. Snake tower paired w/ Snake Mtn and so forth. Central Tower to me was the Eternian Palace, I had it attached to a cheapie castle playset totally not in scale I got out of the Sears catalog one X-Mas.

We should start another Occupy Matty thread to get them to at least reissue army builders. It's not like we are asking for the whole line here, just one group that will be a guarenteed seller. I bought all the palace guards I could afford and if they came up again, I'd buy several mores sets. And I don't think I'm alone on that one....

I also don't buy the discussions have take place answer. I have heard from the Horse's mouth (so to speak) that they and Scooter have talked about how many figs in the line should be done. It's just an official or perhaps legal maybe capacity, but they jibber jabber about the all kinds of figs in their free time.

If a movie is one day released, I bet that Mattel is going to use the molds they have and release MOTUC in toy stores to coincide with a feature film/animated series/what-have-you. I imagine "no reissues" is for the online Mattycollector store. But that if a movie comes out, they'll be re-doing Man-At-Arms, He-Man, etc etc for the masses. I think they're scaling back what they are re-doing online to create demand. Once the line hits retail in a movie year, folks will be hitting the brick and mortar stores for the figures they missed online.

As usual, I think people are freaking out prematurely. No reissues means that they've probably upped production numbers enough that reissues aren't needed. They were reissuing figures that sold out in ten minutes the first time, and an hour the second time. Now figures are lasting a day or two. They're still selling out, so how that could possibly mean trouble is beyond me.

If you make enough the first time, you don't need to reissue...simple as that.

As usual, I think people are freaking out prematurely. No reissues means that they've probably upped production numbers enough that reissues aren't needed. They were reissuing figures that sold out in ten minutes the first time, and an hour the second time. Now figures are lasting a day or two. They're still selling out, so how that could possibly mean trouble is beyond me.

If you make enough the first time, you don't need to reissue...simple as that.

Very shortsighted outlook. A lack of reissues serves to discourage any newcomers to the line. As people get fed up and leave, they need to be replenished with new customers.

Very shortsighted outlook. A lack of reissues serves to discourage any newcomers to the line. As people get fed up and leave, they need to be replenished with new customers.

This is my problem. I'm only now starting to have enough set aside where collecting will be an option for me, and I would have to drop about $5000 just to catch up at the original price. Anything above that, and I'm looking at forking over quite a bit of money!

"It is possible we could release the Towers individually as they are still solid structures. What we want to avoid is having to create a single playsets like CG that would need to break apart for the purpose of selling it. That would make an already difficult project that much harder. There are no plans at this point to do the Three Towers either as one set or as individual towers but anything could be possible. As long as we don't have to chop up each individual tower to sell them!”

Wow. First of all, I'm gonna pay myself on the back for asking this question. And quite honestly, I have to send out a big shout out to Toy Guru for not just answering my question, but Answering it a way where I have no complaints. Lol. Now, maybe I'm reading too much in the way he answered my question, but I get the idea that Eternia is coming sooner than later. I mean, in his answer, he just describes the possibilities of selling Eternia, but he never once dismissed talks of Eternia being on the table. He even says "There are no plans at this point of doing the 3 Towers EITHER AS ONE SET OR AS INDIVIDUAL TOWERS but anything could be possible. Seems to me that there are plans to do Eternia, but they don't know how they will release. I mean, we already know we'Re not getting vehicles for 2012 because of Granamyr, we won't be getting a Castle Grayskull until we get a movie, and they assumably don't don't about figures past Horde Prime, yet he sure had a lot to say about the 3 Towers, and yet It wasn't really dismissed. Maybe that might end up being our big 30th Anniversey gift? One can dream.

See, I read that as him saying there are no plans at this point to do the Three Towers either as one set or as individual towers.

But, hey, keep hope alive.

True, but he says the possibility of releasing the 3 Towers either way is there. It just goes to show that there have been talks at least about releasing an eternia playset and that it is possible for one to be introduced into the MOTUC line, unlike Castle Grayskull or Snake Mountain. I mean, he did explain why it is possible for the 3 Towers to be made, since they don't need to be split into parts. Usually, TG will say "but no such discussions have taken place"

How come it's always the same they don't want to commit because of some lame excuse?? Other lines have done it

C'Mon man.....

In all honesty I think they're is some old timer that is higher up at Mattel that was around when the overproduction at the end of the 80's line killed that line and all of the stupid He-Man/Skeletor variants killed the 2002 line that doesn't know how to pull the trigger..WOW!

I love how they use that "card" about not having enough money,not enough demand,not enough subs bought,not as popular as other lines,past history failures...blah blah blah...Same old Mattel.......

If I won the lottery I would buy the rights to He-Man from them (ALL rights) and give them to another company to manufacture but they would have to hire the 4H.....

If I won the lottery I would buy the rights to He-Man from them (ALL rights) and give them to another company to manufacture but they would have to hire the 4H.....

Since the 200X line, and even the TRU line failed at retail, I doubt another company would want it. I love MOTU more then anything, but I honestly think if this line was at retail, rather then online, it would have never lasted this long.

Not everyone loves MOTU like we do, or like we want them to. TRU here is clogged with those MOTU packs. She-Ra, Stratos, and Mer-Man are great figures, but no one in my area wants them. Why would Marzo, Shadow Beast, Snout Spout, or Leach not also clog shelves? Even Skeletor clogged shelves, in til they got rid of them.

Well, there is no cartoon out there to showcase the MOTUC line and they weren'T even doing repaints/redecos for the DC figures, so that TRU line was destined to eventually fail. I think in the end, MOTUC will be successful unless we fans bail out on the line. The way I see it, if there were enough subs for 2012 to continue the line and the subs for the upcoming years can maintain that same #, if not inveersard' then this line is in "good hands", per say.